Fake out Take out: Tim Hortons Pumpkin Spice Muffins

There are a couple of times a year that Canadian cafe and bakeshop, Tim Hortons really makes my day. The first – as any true Canadian knows – is the first day of “Roll Up The Rim” even though we all know we probably won’t win anything throughout the duration of the contest and if we do it’s likely a free coffee or donut, that doesn’t stop the anticipation of “roll up time”. The second is when they release their seasonal pumpkin spice muffins; seriously, these muffins are amazing. They’re so good that one year my mom totally forgot to make dessert for Thanksgiving and made me run out to Tim Hortons to get a dozen of these delicious treats – no one was upset about this. This year, I decided to try making them myself and the results were pretty great if I may say so myself. As per usual, I added my own healthy twist to the recipe by adding chia seeds and flax seeds to the batter and instead of using regular brown sugar, I used the organic kind but these are completely optional. I decided to share the recipe with you guys so you don’t have to fret when the pumpkin spice muffins get pulled from the shelves at the end of the season – you can just make your own batch!

Fake out Take out: Tim Hortons Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Ingredients:

For the Muffins:

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1-1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp nutmeg

2 eggs

3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup water

1 tsp chia seeds

1 tsp flax seeds

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1/2 package cream cheese, at room temperature

4 tbsp confectioner’s sugar, sifted

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F and line a 12 cup muffin tin with muffin papers.

In separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: eggs, pumpkin puree, oil, milk, and vanilla. Pour over dry ingredients and stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.

Spoon into prepared muffin cups

Bake in center of a 375°F (190°C) oven about 20 to 25 minutes or until muffins are golden and tops are firm to the touch. Let cool in pan on rack for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

While the muffins are baking, whisk together the cream cheese, confectioner’s sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice. (If the frosting is too thick, add a bit more lemon juice. If too runny, add more confectioner’s sugar.) Set aside.

When muffins are cooled completely, inject each muffin with a generous amount (1-2 tbsp) of cream cheese frosting and enjoy!